Last month, I presented my questions and anxiety about my pending retirement, and I introduced the idea of an interactive retirement column. I asked readers to respond with their stories, questions, and ideas, and I thank all those who submitted responses. It is heartening to know that I am not alone and that many of you have been pondering the same questions. Although the letters below do not solve all my quandaries, I know that some Where What When readers will truly benefit from these thoughtful and admirable people.
I have broken the responses into
topics for easier perusing.
Request for Help
Dear Rochelle,
When I retired, I became a ride coordinator and driver
for Bikur Cholim. I met a lot of people and felt like I was doing
something important. After Covid, I became the person running the entire
program. I enjoy helping people, but as my driver pool dwindles, I am short on
drivers. Now the job is difficult because I have to tell many people who need
help that I can’t help them. It would be very beneficial to recruit new
drivers. New retirees are perfect for this job. It is as easy as giving one
hour a week, if possible. I’d be happy to have people sign up, even if they can
only do one ride a month. I have drivers who have told me they have met so many
nice people. If you can help, please call me at 443-474-0093.
Bonnie Horowitz
* * *
Consider Semi-Retirement
Dear Rochelle,
For people who are considering
retirement but are not sure how it will work for them, or for those who need
transitions to major life changes and fear not having the structure of a job,
consider semi-retirement.
If you are of full retirement
age for Social Security, and you are able to continue working part time at your
regular job – that is, your employer would rather have you part time than not
at all, or your employer would like you to mentor your successor – go ahead and
collect that Social Security while still working. That will give you time
during the week to build your retirement life and see how you can make it work.
I did this for four years. I
retired but continued to work Monday through Thursday afternoons. That gave me
Friday to make Shabbos and four other mornings to set up a routine. I took a
Jewish class on Monday, exercised at the JCC on Tuesday, went to a farmer’s
market and food shopped on Wednesday, and went to the JCC again on Thursday.
Going at a regular time each week along with others on the same schedule helped
to create a new social life for me. I now had my class friends, my market
friends, my exercise friends – all to replace the work friendships that I was
going to lose by fully retiring. Those friendships gave the activity added
benefit. And in between, I found time to research applications and bring
shul management software to my congregation, where I became the volunteer
webmaster, parlaying my long-time work experience into my retirement volunteer
career. That would continue to be my “job” when I fully retired.
After four years, when my
employer could no longer support me, I retired full time. But I kept the same
life I’d been living, with more time to do other things, and I still have a
volunteer job. The transition was pretty seamless, and I had four extra years
of income.
I had been working for 52 years
by the time I retired, and it was time, but I feared not having the structure
of working. This plan helped me to transition to retirement. It’s been 11
years, and I love every part of my life. So, for anyone on the fence, you can
try out retirement before you actually do it fully. Hatzlacha in your choices! And hatzlacha,
Mrs. Goldberg, on your new column!
Glenna B. Ross
*
* *
Retirement Is Utter Bliss
Dear Rochelle,
I worked full time for 39 years, and I
was out of the house daily from roughly 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. During that
time, I took care of my children, my husband, and two cats, ensuring that the
kids had whatever extracurricular activities that inspired them: music, arts,
dance, sports, etc.
When I retired, life suddenly
slowed down. I could read the newspaper instead of scanning the front page
for 30 seconds. I could sleep later than 4:30 a.m. I did not have to fight
traffic twice a day, which was a huge relief. My house was tidier in
retirement. But I still made sure to get up and get dressed every single
day.
Retirement was my first
opportunity to engage in my own interests and passions. As soon as I stopped
working, I dedicated time to our shul and also pursued my own hobbies. I signed
up for ice skating (at the age of 60!), voice, sewing, Mah Jong, workout
classes, and Yiddish. And it was all delightful.
In addition, I sought out new
friends – women who were at home during the day and were available to have
lunch or to spend a day exploring the delights of Washington, D.C. with me.
All of this kept me busy four
days a week, Monday through Thursday. Then we began to have grandchildren, and
some of the grandchildren moved to our neighborhood. Suddenly, our
discretionary time decreased, and the local grandchildren filled our
hours. I have dropped most of the “extracurriculars,” with the exception of four
hours of Yiddish per week, a parshat hashavua class, and socializing with
friends.
But retirement continues to be
utter bliss.
Name Withheld
* * *
No
Two Retirements Look the Same
Dear Readers
So, that’s it
for this month’s issue. I’ve learned a lot just from reading your letters.
Semi-retirement sounds wonderful – and practical. But there are still fears I
haven’t totally shaken:
·
Will I miss the paycheck more
than I think?
·
Can I survive without my “work
family”?
·
Will my mind be challenged?
·
Who’s going to push me out the door in the morning if I
don’t have a paying job with real responsibilities?
·
Will I suddenly feel “old” and,
therefore, become old?!
These are all
real concerns – or at least they are keeping me up at night! But what I’m
hearing from you is that retirement isn’t an ending; it’s an invitation, a
chance to serve your community in new ways, spend time with people who matter,
go to a shiur, try something
unexpected (ice skating, anyone?), and fill your days with meaning.
Please keep
sending in your ideas and your stories. Together, we’ll figure out how to
navigate this new chapter – no instruction manual required. Until next time…
Rochelle
Please send your ideas, questions, and stories to retirednowwhat58@gmail.com.
